Rethinking Textile Waste in Kenya

ACT Featured by UNSSC

Africa Collect Textiles has been featured in a new UNSSC article on the circular shift happening in high-impact sectors around the world. The piece highlights how organisations are rethinking waste and rebuilding systems that work for people and the planet — including the work we do here in Kenya.

At ACT, we collect post-consumer textiles and footwear from drop-off points and door-to-door pickups. Everything we recover is sorted by hand for reuse, resale, or upcycling. Some pieces become affordable second-life clothing. Others are turned into new products with local artisans. All of it stays in circulation for as long as possible.

The article recognises the growing challenge of textile waste in Kenya and the importance of practical, community-driven solutions. It also points to what still needs to change: better product design, shared responsibility across borders, and stronger frameworks like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to support the work on the ground.